“This month is a perfect example, where we've had 1.92 inches (of precipitation) for March so far. We're already 1.02 inches above normal.”

Linda Hyatt, a horticulturist with Penn State Extension in Greensburg, is concerned particularly with the deer tick, which is the one most prevalent in Westmoreland County.

“Ticks are a really terrible problem,” Hyatt said. “Nearly all the ones we've identified have been the deer tick. ... And they're active pretty much all year.”

Deer ticks are troublesome because they can carry Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that — if not detected early on — can cause fatigue, cognitive impairment, joint pain, poor sleep, mood problems, muscle pain and other neurological symptoms.

April Hutcheson, spokewoman for the state Health Department, said the state leads the nation in Lyme disease cases. Cases have been confirmed in all 67 counties.

In Westmoreland County, 363 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2015 — on average, one a day. And that was a 30 percent increase from the 254 reported the previous year.

But Chinnici doesn't consider the statewide rise in cases as an epidemic.

“We have a perfect storm — a large state with many outdoor activities, healthy wildlife populations, hunting,” she said. “So you're going to see a higher incidence of people coming into contact with those ticks.”

Hutcheson said it's difficult to predict how many people will be diagnosed. The Health Department has encouraged residents to take preventative measures.

“If you've been outdoors and you see the bull's-eye rash, come in (to see a doctor),” she said.

Other early signs of the disease include flulike symptoms. Some patients have shown facial drooping, according to Lymedisease.org, a nonprofit that aims to educate the public about the disease.

Dillon Carr is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach him at 724-850-1298 or dcarr@tribweb.com.